Penrith to unleash gun centre Waqa Blake, dubbed the next Greg Inglis | By Nathan Ryan MOVE over Jamal Idris — Penrith are set to unleash an electric centre many are dubbing “the next Greg Inglis”. With Idris sidelined after undergoing back surgery this week, the path has been cleared for Waqa Blake to shine. The 20-year-old speedster has wasted little time wowing the opposition with his lightning speed, dazzling footwork and brutal fend, all while still learning the game having predominantly played rugby union as a kid. Even while he was playing the rival code, Blake has always looked up to Inglis, an Origin and Test star he is now being compared to. “Mum was telling me one time she was watching (NSW Cup on television) in Perth — I was like ‘wow, that’s a big thing — I can’t believe I am being compared to GI’,” Blake said of being compared to his hero. “It definitely makes me nervous. That’s big to get compared to Greg Inglis. “Everyone knows GI — I’ve always looked up to GI. Even when I was playing union, it was always Greg Inglis. “He is big and fast. He’s just got it all. He seems like a quiet humble guy — a good role model.” While Penrith general manager of football Phil Gould said it was “unfair” to compare the two players, he is confident Blake is destined for the NRL. “Waqa Blake will be a first grade footballer — I have no doubt — but in good time,” Gould said. “He’d played very little rugby league when he came to us a couple years ago. He played in our NYC winning team. Last year he pretty much had a full year of NSW Cup which is great development for a player of his type and age.” Born in Fiji, Blake and his family moved to Sydney when he was nine, which is when he got his first taste of rugby league, but it was short-lived; he then switched to union following a move to Perth at 13. It wasn’t until 2012 when he decided to play SG ball with the West Coast Pirates that he caught the eye of a Penrith talent scout and moved to play Holden Cup. During his first year at the foot of the mountain, Blake played on the wing before shifting into the centres and he has no desire to switch position, even if that means biding his time in the lower grades with the likes of Dean Whare and Jamal Idris ahead of him in the pecking order. “It’s very tough,” he said of competition for spots. “Dean Whare is someone I look up to — he is really good on and off the field. Both Jamal and Dean have been helping me with how they prepare, being professional.” Having fully recovered from an ankle reconstruction in the off-season, which cost him a place in the junior Kangaroos side, Blake said his main goal is to “impress Ivan” and earn a place in the NRL side. But Gould revealed Blake could have played first grade last year if it was not for a sever bout of tonsillitis. “He would have debuted last year if he didn’t lose 14 kilos before round one virtually overnight,” Gould explained. Blake added; “I didn’t eat for a week straight.” “I went from 95 to 81 in just a week, when I came back to training none of the boys recognised me. I missed the first round and came back in the second but I was still a bit weak. “I started a heavy eating diet and hitting the gym but it wasn’t the same me so slowly, slowly.” With Blake contracted until the end of 2016, Gould has stressed the club will take its time in developing the young gun into a first grader. “Everyone can see the potential and you don’t have to know much about the game to know he is a special athlete, but he has had some niggly injuries and nursing him through a sore back,” Gould said. “Training with the NRL squad is something young bodies have to come to terms with. We have to be patient and part of development is giving these players time and not rushing them too early.” And while Blake has many of the playing traits of Inglis, including a one-hand basketball-like carry, he is quick to point out one major difference between him and his idol. Last year Blake played for the NSW resident’s Origin side and says unlike his idol, there won’t be any issue regarding his eligibility should the moment ever arise. “I’m NSW,” he declared with a grin. Source:news.au/sport/nrl/nrl-season-2015-penrith-to-unleash-gun-centre-waqa-blake-dubbed-the-next-greg-inglis/story-fndv34xp-1227194284619
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 02:54:02 +0000
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